Pattern controlled multiple drilling machine



July 29, 1941. NQM. STEFANO 2,250,345

PATTERN CQNTROLLED MULTIPLE DRILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 17, 1958 FIGJ.

I NVENTOR frequently the case Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STATE rarest oFFica 'atasis PATTERN CONTROLLED MULTIPLE DRILI- ING MACHINE Nicholas M. Stefano, Endicott, N. Y., assignor .to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application December 1'7, 1938, Serial No. 246,268

7 Claims.

This invention relates to drill templates and, more particularly, to templates of the type employed in multiple spindle drill work.

In drill work where a piece of material is to receive a multiplicity of holes, a multiple spindle drill is generally employed in order to save drilling time. Where each succeeding piece of material presented at the drilling machine is to receive the same number of holes in the same relative locations, all the drilling may be done from a common set-up of the spindles. However, when a different pattern of holes is to'be made for different pieces of material as is in practice, such as in the manufacture of panels fortabulating ma l5 chine plugboards of the type disclosed in U. S.

Patent 2,056,361 issued to A. W. Mills on October 6, 1936, the set-up of the drilling machine must be frequently changed.

The present invention is directed toward e1iminating the necessity of changing the set-up of the drilling machine for different pieces of Work and thus accomplishes a saving in time and an increase in work output. It is therefore the'gen- "eral object of the invention to provide a noveliv variable drill template to cooperate with a multiple spindle drilling machine for drilling a different pattern of holes in different pieces of material without changing the number of drills or their relative location on the drilling machine More specifically, it is the object of the instant invention to provide by means of yieldingly mounted drill spindlesand stops or buttons in a drill template, a method for 'preselectingthose portions of -'a regular pattern which are to be drilled on a multiple spindle drilling machine, and by a number of drills which isfixed fora given operation and which is less than the total number of holes to be drilled.

According to the invention, buttons made of soft steel or the equivalent are inserted in the drill template in the positions not desired to'be drilled. These buttons are well lubricated and when the template is moved relatively to the drilling machine for adrilling operation, the

drillswhich are confronted by the buttons'are prevented from operating. When a drill comes in contact with a button, the button spins with the drill to'prevent damage to the latter,

Further objects of the instant invention reside inany novel feature of construction or operation or novel combination of partspresent in'the embodiment of the invention described and shown in the accompanying drawing whether-within or without the scope of the appended claimsand;

irrespectiveof other specific statements as to the scope of the invention contained herein.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional viewof the drill, showing the relative location of the template and material to be drilled in working relation to the drill itself.

ignated I4 and I5 respectively, protruding'from the tops thereof which lead to a compressedair tank (not shown). The mechanism within each of the upright membersis kept under an adjustable amount of air pressure, for example, lbs/square inch. As the mechanism Withineach of the upright members is the, same, a description of that mechanism within the'walls of mem ber II will sufice.

'A'fioating piston lfi rid'csin a cylinder 11 filled with compressed air which biases the piston downwardly against a bushing l8} The upper end of vertical shaft !9 extends into bushing 18 and is provided with a threaded portion 20 having a nut 2| which-is prevented from turning oif the thread 2e by a cotter pin 22.

The drive mechanism for shaft l9 includes a 7 drive pulley 23 driven in the direction shown'by a belt 24 connected to a suitable motor inot shown); A- drive'shaft 25 is directly connected with the pulley 23 and'is provided with ahelical gear 26 which'meshes with ahelical gear 28 on the floating spindle assembly'rflf A bearing 21 is provided totake up the'end thrust. Thelower end of shaft I9 is merged with the spindle assembly 30 and thus shaft l9 and the spindle i3l are kept in continuous rotation. A collet 32 is provided for holding the drill'33 in position. An

elongated hole 29' is usually provided in the spindle so that a drill which has become dull may be removed by forcing a wedge in this hole. against the top of the'drill." '2 2;

The, work to be drilled, represented by-panels 34, 35, and 36 is placed on a drilling fixture 31 located beneath the drills 33. Immediately-above the work is placed a pressure pad 381with inserted drill bushings 39. A template-40 is. then placed over the pressure pad 39 so that the holes 4| in the template align with the bushings 39. These holes are of smaller diameter at the bottom than at the top, the smaller diameter being slightly larger than the diameter of the bushings 39. The template holes are formed to readily receive T-shaped buttons or stops 42. After buttons 42 have been dropped in the requiredtemplate holes. 4 l a button retainer plate 43 is placed over the template 40. The buttons are confined within the holes of the template by reason of the fact that plate 43 is providedwith ,holes of slightly smaller diameter than the top .ofathe buttons.

Provision is made for movingthe .template lassembly vertically with thepressurepad -38-during 1, figure,. how;ever, .has encountered oneof :the buttons 42 and is held forced back up; against the ,air, pressure.

The button 42 is..w ell lubricated-byany-suiti .able. means, such cassan .oiland graphite. mixture and-therefore is adapted ,to. ,rotate .freely in the .holeAl;

;A- smal l-.conical ;recess-42a is. provided in the top-,pt the buttoninto: which the .drill fits. -'-Ihis ,hole fur n shes-thetdoublepurposaof aiding in the V f-the drill-and of preventing injury ril bwinsuring that the button rotates I e drill. -liutton- 42-is preferably-made of a softgrade oi steeli although other--materials may joegrsedfis -,w ell. As thex-template assembly is pwardly; toward the drill. 33, the'button cgnta stheflrilland iorces it upward against theainpressureinthe cylinder IT above it. Thus the drill 33 on the right is rendered :ineflective to idiiil la hol .i thetxn rticular at on in the ename 5;.and 3.6-

;.i t'l sghete that-.th r hutton mayb in r d :in; ac ordanc wiithzazdes re p e h l e a ld'alzlflfin. whe the p ttern :is: to .be chan the buttonrretainenrmat is .-qui .1$ y: removed and a few more buttons added-orremoved, as the case .-.may:.he;:;the. number. of drills remainin :fixed.

'lMhile. there has been. showniand"; described and pointedioutg, the; fundamental; novel features of othe ;-inventi on asapplied .to. .a single modification, itiwill ibe: understood-that. various omissions and substitutionsand changesdn the 'formia-nd details -.of gthegdevice illustratecLand tin .its .operation may :-.be made by .;those. skilled 1111 the art withoutde- -pantingijrom.. the.-spirit .of :the invention. It is 1 theLdntention therefore .to .--be .limited 0nly ,.asin

ndicatedrby the scope-oithe-Iollowing claims.

-. What iisv claimednis:

1.1In =.a rdrilling machine, in. combination with aeplurality-ofsrotating.drills, yieldable means cooperatingiwith the-drills for. urgingsaid drills toward a piece of work to be drilled to effect drilling -operations..insaid.work, a:template.phaving a .plurality oft.-holes.-and a plurality ofrotatable portions-adapted to .bepositionedzbetween the drill-an'd theworkso that a predetermined :num-

Lber' of the idrills are aligned..with said holes and others of said drills are aligned with said rotatable portions, the last-mentioned drills during drilling operations engaging the rotatable portions so as to prevent contact between the drill so engaged and the work in spite of the urging of the yieldable means.

2. In a drilling machine, in combination with a plurality of constantly rotating drills, a plurality of pistons cooperating with said drills, a series of cylinders in which said pistons operate, a source of air under pressure, means for applying said air .to thepistons-in said cylinders so as to urge said pistons against said drills to cause the drills to contact the work for drilling operations, a template having-a plurality of holes and a plurality of rotatable portions adapted to be positioned between the drills and the work so that a predeter- =-mined number of the drills are aligned with the holesand others of said drills are aligned with the rotatable portions, the last-mentioned drills inithe course of being pressed into contact with the .workbythe applied air pressure engaging said rotatableportions was to 'force saidpistons ,l pwardly in said cylinders thus preventing furand the work.

ther (relative movementgofthe drills so engaged 3. In combinatiomadrilling machine comprising a plurality -of' rotating .drills, biasing .means operations, a template having a pluralityof holes therein adapted to .bepositioned. between. the drills and the work so that each of said drills is alignedwith one of the holes in the template, anda*plurality of stops insertibly placed inna ;predetermined number .of said holes with which the related drills engage to prevent further rela- .tive movement of the drills so engaged with redrillingoperations.

spect to the work while the.drills not so engaged continue relatively toward the work to efiect 4-. "A drilling machine comprisinga plurality of rotatingdrills-in constant rotation, biasingimeans tions,.at emplate having a plurality of holes-thereto impart relative movement between the. drills and the work to be drilled during'drillingoperain. adapted to -be positioned between the .drills and the-work so that each-of saiddrillsis aligned -=with one of the holes in the template a plurality of stops. insertibly placed in a-predeterrnined numberofsaid holes-and freely rotatable therevin,-;said stops being provided with recesses with which the points of the drillsv engage to prevent further relative movement between the drills so en a ed and the Work byovercoming the effect of the biasing :means, the last-mentioned drills fiupon engaging said stops causing the latter to rontate with the said'drills.

with the drills for urging them toward the work to .-.be.-drilled to effect drilling operations; a template having a plurality of holes therein-adapted to be posi-tioned between the drills and the r work so 5. In 'a drilling machine in combination-with a plurality of drills, yieldable means cooperating that-each of the drills is aligned with a holein thettemplate, a plurality of buttons having-conieally, shaped recesses therein and adapted to be insertibly placed said holes in accordance with a preselected pattern, those .drills aligned-v with of drills in constant rotation, yieldable biasing means for said drills to impart relative movement between the drills and the work to be drilled, a template provided with a plurality of holes, means to position the template between the work and the drills so that said holes lie in a path of said drills, a plurality of buttons of a shape substantially in conformity with the shape of the holes adapted to be inserted therein, the holes with stops when engaged by the related drills in the course of their relative movement toward the work during drilling operations interrupting said relative movement of the drills and causing said buttons to turn in the holes in accordance with the rotation of the drill, and the holes without stops when engaged by the related drills aligning said drills in their relative movement toward the work to effect drilling operations.

7. In a drilling machine incombination with a plurality of constantly rotating drills, yieldable means cooperating with the drills for urging them toward the work to be drilled to effect drilling operations, a template having a plurality of holes and a plurality of rotatable portions therein, the rotatable portions being made of material substantially softer than the drills and provided with conically shaped recesses therein, means to position the template between the work and the drills so that a preselected number of the holes in the template and the recesses in the rotatable portions lie in the path of said drills, the drills which engage said recesses being interrupted in the course of their attempted movement toward the work under the urging of the yieldable means, and the drills which engage the holes in the template remaining against the projection and continuing their relative movement toward the work to effect a drilling operation.

NICHOLAS M. 'S'I EFANO. 

